Category: Fraud & Scams
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Social Security’s inspector general warns that scammers posing as police are telling victims to load money onto QR codes and barcodes, and some lose thousands of dollars
Scammers posing as police officers, sheriff’s deputies and federal agents are the subject of a new warning from Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General, which says they are telling victims to load money onto QR codes and barcodes at a retail store, and that some victims lose thousands of dollars. The alert, titled “Think…
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A Loveland, Colorado woman who used two Social Security numbers must repay $214,144 in Section 8 rent help and $33,159.48 to Social Security after a six-month sentence
A 67-year-old Loveland, Colorado woman was sentenced to six months in federal prison for collecting Social Security and Section 8 housing benefits while using two Social Security numbers. Antoinette Vazquez Cobain was also ordered to repay $33,159.48 to the Social Security Administration and $214,144.00 to the Loveland Housing Authority. The two amounts add up to…
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The FTC won a $106.8 million judgment shutting down a debt relief ring that posed as banks and government agencies and promised to slash consumers’ debts
A federal court in Arizona has permanently shut down a debt relief operation that the Federal Trade Commission says posed as banks, credit card companies and government agencies. On October 14, 2026, the court entered a $106.8 million default judgment against seven companies tied to the scheme, the FTC announced on October 22. The agency…
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Social Security’s watchdog says a Pompano Beach woman was convicted of stealing more than $152,000 in benefits paid for nearly six years after her great-aunt died
A federal jury has convicted Asha Anderson, 48, of Pompano Beach, Florida, of stealing more than $152,000 in Social Security retirement benefits that kept arriving for nearly six years after her great-aunt died. The Social Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General announced the verdict on October 20, 2026. Jurors found her guilty of theft…
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A Texas jury convicted a fourth defendant tied to more than $150 million that call-center scammers took from elderly Americans
A federal jury in Austin has convicted Bhavesh Kumar Thakkar, 45, an Indian national who was in the United States on a spousal visa, of two counts tied to wire fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors say he was directly connected to more than $150 million in proceeds that India-based call-center scammers took from elderly victims…
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An American who operated from the Philippines pleaded guilty in a scheme targeting veterans’ and servicemembers’ bank and benefit accounts
Robert Wayne Boling Jr., a 45-year-old American who ran a fraud operation from the Philippines, pleaded guilty on October 20 to conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering. Federal prosecutors say he used stolen personal data on thousands of servicemembers and veterans to break into their bank accounts and online benefits accounts, and that…
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The Justice Department offers rewards starting at $10,000 for health care fraud tips that lead to criminal charges
The Justice Department will pay people $10,000 to $30,000 for information that leads to criminal charges in health care fraud and related cases, under a program it announced October 20. The Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program, known as WHIP, is run by the department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. The department calls it the first whistleblower rewards…
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USDA proposes moving every state’s food stamp cards to chip and tap within two years of a final rule, after more than $360 million in stolen benefits was replaced
The magnetic stripe on the back of a food stamp card is the weak spot USDA wants to replace. On October 21, 2026, the department posted a proposed rule that would require every state to move Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits onto chip-and-tap cards, with a two-year clock that starts when a final rule…
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The VA warns veterans that phishing texts, AI deepfake calls and malicious QR codes are being used to steal veterans’ sensitive information
Veterans are being told to treat unexpected VA texts, phone calls and QR codes with suspicion. In a fraud alert posted September 25, 2026, the Department of Veterans Affairs described phishing texts, AI-generated deepfake phone calls and malicious QR codes as tools used to get at sensitive information. The VA also gave veterans a number…
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The FTC says it is not contacting anyone about Amazon Prime refunds, which arrive only by check, PayPal or Venmo
A phone call, text or email from someone claiming to be with the Federal Trade Commission about an Amazon Prime refund is almost certainly a scam. The FTC itself says it is not contacting people about refunds in the Amazon matter. The real payments arrive in one of three ways, a mailed check, PayPal or…